Rural NSW team breaks record for harvesting wheat and baking it into bread

SALLY SARA: While the slow food movement may be trendy in the city, a team from rural New South Wales has broken the world record for some serious fast food.

The group of farmers and a baker managed to harvest wheat and turn it into baked bread in 16 minutes and 30 seconds, beating the previous mark by more than a minute and a half.

The record attempt was carried out in a paddock near the town of Parkes and raised thousands of dollars for a local disability service.

Farmer Neil Unger explains how it was done.

NEIL UNGER: The process was we had a header there to harvest the grain. From there it was transferred to a mill that was onsite. Everything was run on generators.

Then the milled flour was sifted as best we could. Like last night we tried John's laundry window screen, and we decided that if we needed more his bedroom window screen might disappear as well.

I don't know what they did about the mosquitoes last night but anyway it worked.

SALLY SARA: And then how did you get the oven developed that it would be cooking the bread fast enough?

NEIL UNGER: The oven had to be portable. It was made out of brick, steel base and we had a gas fired heater simply because of the fire ban. There was no way we could have lit a fire in that oven without the firies putting it out on us.

SALLY SARA: So how much time did each stage take?

NEIL UNGER: It took about 20 seconds to get the grain harvested. It took us about another 20 seconds to get grain through the mill and then about another 20 seconds to sieve it.

I believe the mixing, it wouldn't have taken that long either. Let's say three or four minutes. Everything got shot into the oven. We baked it for about 12 minutes. Thankfully it came out well and truly cooked.

SALLY SARA: This is some fairly serious fast food.

NEIL UNGER: Yes and the frightening bit is everyone actually ate it.

SALLY SARA: Was it alright?

NEIL UNGER: Course it was.

SALLY SARA: What sort of reaction have you had from people before you did this record attempt when you explained to them what you wanted to do?

NEIL UNGER: Well thankfully I'm not unique because I was fairly fascinated with the whole project but everyone that we came across and contacted, they, it was contagious. Everyone was absolutely fascinated and they all said it just cannot be done.

And as of about 7 o'clock last night we were convinced also that it could not be done.

SALLY SARA: What have you learnt from this whole process?

NEIL UNGER: I'd like to stay down the back paddock of the farm like a hermit and forget the world.

SALLY SARA: Why's that?

NEIL UNGER: Just to organise a thing of this stage has been a constant full time job for I'd say well over six weeks.

SALLY SARA: What were the celebrations like after you broke the world record today?

NEIL UNGER: Ah, I think it was a huge relief, we're still in shock and we're stilling trying to believe that we actually did it.

SALLY SARA: Any future plans to do it again?

NEIL UNGER: There are other records and the one that we've got our eye on is a single operator.

SALLY SARA: Is your family relieved that this is all over, Neil?

NEIL UNGER: (Laughing) Oh, I think they're very relieved and as they always say, like, "Beware of Dad when he's been on the tractor because he's thinking too much".

SALLY SARA: That's Neil Unger, a farmer from Parkes in central New South Wales.